Level Three
Lesson 34
count and noncount nouns
It’s necessary to know the differences between count and noncount nouns. This knowledge improves your grammar.
34a. count nouns
A count noun is a noun with both singular and plural forms. These nouns are generally countable:
singular
a book
a tie
a cup
a problem
an elephant
an egg
a trip
plural
books
ties
cups
problems
elephants
eggs
trips
34a. Examples
- Lisa is getting ready for a trip.
- She’s laying out her clothes.
- She’s packing a belt.
- She’s also going to pack an extra pair of shoes.
- She’s going to bring an extra camera, too. Now she has two cameras.
34b. noncount nouns
A noncount noun is noun that has only a singular form. These nouns represent things that are generally not countable due to the nature in which they exist.
- Rice comes in a bag. (We don’t count every grain of rice. There are too many.)
- Jerry put gas in his gar. (Words for liquids are usually noncount nouns.)
- There’s water coming from the hose. (You can’t count water.)
- We enjoyed the silence of the evening.
- The traffic around here is getting worse. (Traffic is a constant flow of vehicles, so it’s considered uncountable.)
34b. Examples
- You can buy gas at a gas station.
- You can also buy oil there.
- Food is also available.
Practice
Write in your notebook. 
Directions: Indicate if the noun in bold in each sentence is a count noun or a noncount noun.
1. He has some work to do. (count / noncount)
2. I bought some apples. (count / noncount)
3. The traffic is moving very slowly. (count / noncount)
4. There’s a cat on the chair. (count / noncount)
5. The fruit in the basket is very colorful. (count / noncount)
6. The school gave us a lot of information. (count / noncount)
7. How many people were at event? (count / noncount)
8. That’s a very important question. (count / noncount)
9. The accommodations at the hotel were outstanding. (count / noncount)
10. Honesty is an important part of a relationship. (count / noncount)
The answers are below.
Answers:
1. noncount noun
2. count noun
3. noncount noun
4. count noun
5. noncount noun
6. noncount noun
7. count noun
8. count noun
9. count noun
10. noncount noun